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enSenior Trump Advisor Retweets Viral Video Of Chainsaw-wielding Man Yelling 'F***ing N*****s'https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/senior-trump-advisor-retweets-viral-video
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/20/06/download_4.jpg" /></div><p>Mercedes Schlapp was the White House Director of Strategic Communications until mid-2019. Since then she's worked on Trump's re-election campaign. She's also married to Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union.</p>
<p>When it was pointed out to her that a video containing a chainsaw-wielding man attacking protesters and yelling about "f*cking n****rs" wasn't very nice, <a href="https://twitter.com/mercedesschlapp/with_replies">she simply retweeted another tweet than muted the profanity</a>. Because that's how conservatives roll, I guess. Profanity bad, psychos attacking protesters good.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/06/racist-boosted-by-trump-aide-mercedes-schlapp-race-protests-sweep-nation-304633">Politico</a></p>
<blockquote><p>President Donald Trump and his allies for years have amplified racist messages on Twitter while simultaneously reaching out to black and Hispanic voters, a dissonant balancing act that’s now rocking the GOP amid nationwide racial-justice protests.</p>
<p>The two competing forces collided Saturday on the Twitter feed of Trump campaign senior adviser Mercedes Schlapp, when she boosted a tweet that lauded a man in Texas in a viral video as he yelled the n-word and wielded a chainsaw to chase away anti-racism demonstrators.</p>
<p>After POLITICO reached out to her and the campaign, Schlapp then retweeted another account that posted a version of the video that muted the racist slur.</p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/senior-trump-advisor-retweets-viral-video" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Mercedes SchlappracismtrumpSun, 07 Jun 2020 01:48:00 +0000Ed Scarce159460 at https://crooksandliars.comLNMC With Sir Douglas Quintethttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/lnmc-sir-douglas-quintet
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/embeds/2020/06/40759.jpg" /></div><p>My wife once told me she would throw the record player out the window if I played another Doug Sahm song. Granted, he had been on repeat for days on end. He'd probably still be on repeat if she wouldn't have put her foot down. This one should get you shaking tonight. Stay safe out there.</p><!--cl_ad:post_end-->Rock and RollSir Douglas QuintetDoug SahmSir Douglas QuintetSun, 07 Jun 2020 01:39:06 +0000Jared Shade Reynolds159465 at https://crooksandliars.comSarah Kendzior: Trump's Authoritarian Goal Is Not To Govern, But To Rulehttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/sarah-kendzior-trump-and-authoritarianism
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/mediaposters/2020/06/45168.jpg" /></div><p>Sarah Kendzior is an author and journalist who's been railing against Trump since she transitioned to covering the presidential election in March 2016. Kendzior is an expert on authoritarian states and saw in Trump all the classical symptoms of that manifest itself in one man. Her early writings were criticized by some for being hyperbolic and over-the-top, especially in regards to the checks and balances that were supposed to be in the American system of government. Someone as bad and as inept as Trump surely couldn't do too much damage before the system would right itself, was the argument at the time. Well, that turned out to be a farce and Trump has basically run roughshod over every norm of the presidency and promises to do much worse if re-elected.</p>
<p>This morning she spoke with Joy Reid and Malcolm Nance about Trump's and his (not our) Attorney General William Barr and their recent efforts to turn the United States into a police state.</p>
<p><em>JOY REID: I don't know if there's anyone more sinister in the administration than William Barr, first of all. You had senator Chris Murphy and others call this division controlled by Bill Barr a secret police force. Is that what we've come to in America?</em></p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/sarah-kendzior-trump-and-authoritarianism" target="_blank">read more</a></p>AMJoyJoy ReidMalcom NanceSarah KendziorWilliam BarrSat, 06 Jun 2020 20:42:00 +0000Ed Scarce159459 at https://crooksandliars.comPhiladelphia Sheriff Says 'Bye, Felicia' To Buffalo Police Who Resigned In Protesthttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/philadelphia-sheriff-says-bye-felicia
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/mediaposters/2020/06/45170.jpg" /></div><p>Joy Reid had a stellar panel on to discuss police brutality and the protests that have developed nationwide over the police killing of George Floyd. The first to speak was Rochelle Bilal. She is the first Black person, and the first woman to be elected to lead the Sheriffs Department of Philadelphia County, after having been a police officer for 27 years. When Reid asked her to comment on the state of police forces around the nation, she began with Buffalo, NY.</p>
<p>You may have already seen the awful story about <a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/graphic-unprovoked-buffalo-cops-knock">two police officers in Buffalo, NY</a> shoving a 75-year-old male protester to the ground, knocking him immediately unconscious, and causing blood to pour out of his ear onto the sidewalk. One cop stopped to appear to check on him, and another grabbed him from behind and pushed him to keep on walking right on by.</p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/philadelphia-sheriff-says-bye-felicia" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Blue LineBuffalo policeGeorge FloydJoy Reidpolice brutalityProtestersSheriff Rochelle BilalSat, 06 Jun 2020 19:55:00 +0000Aliza Worthington159458 at https://crooksandliars.comLawrence O’Donnell: If Anyone Can ‘Shake The Trump Base,' It’s James Mattishttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/lawrence-o-donnell-if-anyone-can-shake
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/mediaposters/2020/06/45169.jpg" /></div><p>Lawrence O’Donnell explained why former Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis’ blistering criticism of Donald Trump means so much, yet probably won’t be enough to turn Cult 45 against him.</p>
<p>Host Joy Reid opened the discussion with yesterday’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJTNs2dMisk">Lincoln Project ad</a> highlighting Mattis’ denunciation of Trump and asking, “Who do you trust? The coward or the commander?” She also noted that other generals are criticizing Trump, including his former chief of staff John Kelly.</p>
<p>O’Donnell and Reid reminded us that Kelly is no hero, especially regarding <a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2017/10/he-dehumanized-her-lawrence-odonnell-rips">his smears</a> of Rep. Frederica Wilson. O’Donnell said that he has been expecting, since “the end of the first week of the Trump administration” that former Trump officials will at some point publicly turn against Trump. They will claim, O’Donnell said, “Thank God I was there every day because I was preventing him from doing many, many, many worse things.”</p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/lawrence-o-donnell-if-anyone-can-shake" target="_blank">read more</a></p>AM Joy/Joy ReidDonald TrumpFrederica WilsonGen. James MattisGen. John KellyLawrence O'DonnellLincoln ProjectSat, 06 Jun 2020 19:06:18 +0000NewsHound Ellen159457 at https://crooksandliars.comFox’s Hegseth: The Military Is ‘The Reason We Have Peaceful Protests’ In D.C.https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/fox-s-hegseth-military-reason-we-have
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/20/06/screen_shot_2020-06-06_at_1.12.51_pm.png" /></div><p>Siccing military troops on American protesters — with Pete Hegseth in their ranks — is Fox &amp; Friends' Orwellian vision of democracy.</p>
<p>Never mind that a slew of <a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/reality-check-retired-military-are-warning">prominent former military officials</a>, including his own former Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, have slammed Donald Trump after he threatened to use the military against American citizens. And never mind that three far-right “Boogaloo Bois” were <a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/boogaloo-bois-busted-their-way-las-vegas">just arrested</a> on their way to throw Molotov cocktails into a Las Vegas protest in the hope of starting their longed-for civil/race war.</p>
<p>No, on Fox News, the big threat to our society are those Uppity Blacks Behaving Badly who can only be held at bay by the likes of <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/pete-hegseth">war-criminal-loving</a> Hegseth.</p>
<p>The meme began with cohost Griff Jenkins, moonlighting from his job as <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-friends/griff-jenkins-fox-friends-guest-hosting-gig-destroys-networks-supposed-newsopinion">“straight news”</a> correspondent, saying that law enforcement provides “security to allow people to exercise their First Amendment rights."</p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/fox-s-hegseth-military-reason-we-have" target="_blank">read more</a></p>fox and friendsGeorge Floyd ProtestsGriff JenkinsJedediah BilaMayor Muriel BowserPete HegsethU.S. militaryWashington D.C.Excessive ForceSat, 06 Jun 2020 17:10:00 +0000NewsHound Ellen159452 at https://crooksandliars.comBethesda Cyclist Filmed Assaulting 'Young Adults' Hanging BLM Signs In Bethesda Chargedhttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/bethesda-cyclist-who-appeared-assault
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/20/06/bethesda.jpg" /></div><p>On Monday a middle aged white man was caught on video attacking numerous people, one who appeared to be a young girl, on the Crescent Trail in Bethesda, MD. This trail is close to the Washington, DC border and is popular with both runners, walkers and cyclists. It is in an affluent part of Montgomery County and crime is fairly low in that area. The video is alarming:</p>
<div class="embedfield embedfield-embed-html embed-provider-twitter">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">They were putting up signs to commemorate the death of George Floyd. He wasn&#39;t having it. <a href="https://t.co/eukrXrxoLN">pic.twitter.com/eukrXrxoLN</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Victor Stoddard (@VicStoddard) <a href="https://twitter.com/VicStoddard/status/1268620623489560576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<p>After 4 days, a suspect was finally identified. 60 year old Anthony Brennan of Kensington, Maryland, was arrested and formally charged with three counts of second-degree assault. You can read the full press release from the Maryland National Capital Park Police <a href="https://www.montgomeryparks.org/uploads/2020/06/Press-Release-Arrest-Capital-Crescent-Trail-Assault.pdf">here.</a></p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/bethesda-cyclist-who-appeared-assault" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Anthony BrennanBethesdaBLMCyclistMarylandVideoExcessive ForceSat, 06 Jun 2020 17:03:47 +0000Red Painter159454 at https://crooksandliars.comNew Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory: Pandemic Contact Tracers Are 'Gestapo' Coming For Your Childrenhttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/new-right-wing-conspiracy-theory-pandemic
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/20/06/49818315648_67f85e0be9_c.jpg" /></div><p><em>Mother Jones</em> <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/a-new-right-wing-conspiracy-theory-claims-covid-contract-tracers-are-stealing-children/">brings a good overview of the latest far-right conspiracy topic</a>: pandemic contact tracing. Yes, because absolutely everything is awful and because, once again, there is absolutely no aspect of human civilization that is impossible for a group of determined stupid people to f--k up, the latest conspiracy afoot is that contract tracing—the effort to warn Americans who have been in contact with someone who afterwards is identified as carrying a contagious and potentially deadly disease—is a secret plot by [person or group conservatives currently don't like] to do [bad thing]. </p>
<p>Yes, the pandemic is still raging on. And efforts to ensure the pandemic gets worse are blossoming across the land. And airwaves. And internet. </p>
<p>The general theme is that contact tracing is not just an invasion of privacy, and not just a violation of freedoms—which it might well be, if there were not a clear and present risk to human life involved—but a plot. It always has to be a plot. </p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/new-right-wing-conspiracy-theory-pandemic" target="_blank">read more</a></p>conservative mediaConservativesconspiracy theoriesContact Tracingcoronaviruscovid-19far right extremistsFox NewspandemicSat, 06 Jun 2020 15:39:20 +0000HunterDK159392 at https://crooksandliars.comPete Hegseth Whines That Chokehold Ban Makes It Hard For Police To Take People Downhttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/pete-hegseth-whines-chokehold-ban-police-take-people-down
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/mediaposters/2020/06/45165.jpg" /></div><p>Despite evidence to the contrary that chokeholds are in fact <a href="https://www.houstonpress.com/news/chokeholds-and-lateral-vascular-restraints-call-for-training-11358803">very deadly and have been banned in law enforcement academies across the country</a>, <em>Fox &amp; Friends</em> host Pete Hegseth called them "nonlethal" and pretended that police officers don't have other means to subdue someone they're attempting to arrest.</p>
<p>Fox spent every other segment fearmongering over calls to defund police departments across the country following one incident after another of police brutality being caught on camera during these protests sparked by murder of George Floyd, which led to this exchange between Hegseth and his cohost Jedediah Bila.</p>
<div class="transcript">
BILA: Many of the people that are saying defund the police or let's just get -- we don't need police, let's get rid of them, let's decrease the numbers, are same people who are also not advocating for your 2nd Amendment rights.
<p>So, let me just ask them, if you can't call the police and you can't have some sort of weapon in your home to protected yourself and your family, what are you supposed to do? What is the recourse? I would love to ask them. And I understand that healthcare and education in these areas, they may need more funding and we need to address some police reforms. I am not denying that. But to have this attitude about who is going to protect your home if something happens. I don't follow the logic. </p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/pete-hegseth-whines-chokehold-ban-police-take-people-down" target="_blank">read more</a></p>chokeholdfox and friendsFox NewsGriff JenkinsJedediah BilaPete Hegsethpolice brutalityProtestsSat, 06 Jun 2020 15:39:00 +0000Heather159449 at https://crooksandliars.com‘Boogaloo Bois’ Busted On Their Way To Las Vegas Protest With Molotov Cocktailshttps://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/boogaloo-bois-busted-their-way-las-vegas
<div class="node-media"><img src="https://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/20/06/screen_shot_2020-06-05_at_2.49.44_pm.png" /></div><p>Three “Boogaloo Bois” had big plans for Saturday in Las Vegas. They stopped off at a gas station en route to an anti-police protest over the death of George Floyd, and filled up a gas can. They had begun making the Molotov cocktails they intended to launch into the crowd of protesters when they suddenly found themselves surrounded and arrested.</p>
<p>The men, all with military backgrounds and a devotion to far-right “Boogaloo” memes, were charged Wednesday by federal authorities with plotting to attack the protest in order to further their hope for a civil/race war, Nevada <a href="http://justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/joint-terrorism-task-force-charges-three-men-who-allegedly-sought-exploit-protests-las">U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich announced</a>.</p>
<p>“Violent instigators have hijacked peaceful protests and demonstrations across the country, including Nevada, exploiting the real and legitimate outrage over Mr. Floyd’s death for their own radical agendas,” Trutanich said. “Law enforcement is focused on keeping violence and destruction from interfering with free public expression and threatening lives.”</p><p><a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/boogaloo-bois-busted-their-way-las-vegas" target="_blank">read more</a></p>boogalooBoogaloo BoisnevadaRight Wing ExtremistsSat, 06 Jun 2020 14:31:46 +0000David Neiwert159441 at https://crooksandliars.com